The Walking Dead and Examplars
by HFSUnleashed
Summary: This story tells the story of one man called Ryuno, as he lives in a post-apocalypse world, where the author names Zombies in ways you'd probably never come across.
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

**Chapter 1 - The Beginning**

Year 2033, 7:23 AM

As always, I woke up to a cold and lonely morning. "Oh right... I was sleeping in the sewers at who-knows-where", I thought as I stood up and took a look around.

I couldn't take a good look around last night as it was too dark. The already rough walls felt even rougher with the sand between them. The smell of dryness flooded my nostrils and reminded me of the situation on Earth. Who knows how long this place has been abandoned.

Once full of life, now just a ball of dirt filled with the walking dead and few of us. I am Ryuno, one of those who are immune called a Examplar, living in a post-apocalypse hell known as Earth. Welcome to my world.

10 years ago,

Year 2023, 12:00 PM

"Ryuno, please step in for your blood test". I walked lazily, towards the good-looking nurse who called for me.

Turning on the television from reaching home after the test, I pressed my black slim remote and turned to the international news section. My attention got caught by what seemed to be a news report of a very unusual death.

The doctor on the live broadcast at the hospital gasped as she said, "This person, his heart is still beating!".

Hours ago, that person was reported to be dead in his compartment. His eyeballs were dried out and salt crystals was forming at the inside of his skull. His fingertips were purple from the blood accumulated inside.

This was called the Salt Eyes Disease and its cause was unknown. Research shown that the virus spreads easily and is evolving at a mind-boggling rate. The introduction of this disease was only days ago, yet now, its yet again changing.

New reports say that victims retain their heartbeat although they look dead. Just like what we usually read in post-apocalypse stories or in those kind of movies. They behave like the walking dead.

"Ahhhh!", then my television screen went quiet. The doctor was suddenly having the same symptoms as the patient she was examining. Blood flowed out of her eye sockets like a river and dyed the room's floor red.

"WE'RE SORRY FOR THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES" was then shown. This was the start of the apocalypse.

**END OF CHAPTER 1**


	2. Chapter 2 Salt Eyes

**Chapter 2 - Salt Eyes**

Year 2023, 20 December, 1220

Further mutation of Virus, giving birth to the Salt Eyes. 10 days later,

Year 2023, 30 December, 1659

Fearing the spread of an epidemic, the government immediately issued an order to quarantine part of the town where the the doctor and patient was.

It was too late. Hours later,

Hour: 1825

Reports of people turning into Salt Eyes were confirmed. Salt Eyes is the name my organisation, The Examplars* gave them. Well, they are the walking dead which contracted the Salt Eyes Disease before "dying". The Examplars said that it was easier to call them that way but I find it stupid.

Salt Eyes were running amock in the quarantined areas, biting away at anyone they saw. Even soldiers wearing the BSFx* were being shredded like they were nothing more than laminated paper.

Most of the BSFx(s) worn on the new Salt Eyes seemed to have been punctured by something.

Class: Salt Eyes

Attributes: Super strength, Darn strong teeth that pierce BSFx(s), Very slow.

Behaviours: Usually travels in pack and hardly seen alone, Walks slouched.

The reports also shown that those with high leadership qualities that have been honed like the commander of the soldiers at the zone seem to be issuing orders to the other Salt Eyes through disgusting groans and shouts.

Year 2033, 30 August, 0901

Back to the present. After walking for a little while, I reached a safe spot I scouted last night. I am ranked Captain, and I was in charge of my own team under a mission from my boss.

We were laughing and joking happily as Arigus drove us to our mission start point in a MEV*. Arigus just loved the MEV and he also loved driving.

"What could be better as a transport than a MEV into an unknown zone where it could be filled with the walking dead?", he always questioned ecstatically.

Second Lieutenant Arigus, Private Lage, Warrant Officer Brigus (Arigus' younger brother), Warrant Officer John and Second Lieutenant Tim were all handpicked by me for my team. They were close friends and comrades that I could trust each of our backs to.

When we talked, we would never address each other by our ranks, nor saying "Sir" this and that. We simply couldn't care enough. Ranking is but just another system that lets you know who you can order and how much you're earning, at least to us that is.

We were all ambushed suddenly. Mercenaries in these times? Sure there are plenty of them but heck no. It was some of the smarter zombies. We called them, Brains. Literally.

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

References

The Examplars* - A group of people who are immune to the Virus. Turned into an organisation the moment the government heard of the group. In charge of rescuing, scouting, getting data, protection from the walking dead, safety of the other Examplars on Earth and finding a cure.

BSFx* - Body Suit Fx, most advanced and strongest full body suit, made in Year 2024. Absorbs all impact from falls, and if you tried to perform suicide from a building by jumping down, you'll not be harmed at all. Offers high protection from explosions. Doesn't tear nor wear. Said to last 50 years.

MEV* - Mobile Emergency Vehicle, made in Year 2016. A portable bomb shelter, featuring a 6 sitter, heavy protection and it is fast-moving. The Examplars use it as transportation for their missions.


	3. Chapter 3 Brains

**Chapter 3 - Brains**

Year 2024, 5 May, ?

A video record was being played on the big screen back at the headquarters. It was recorded quite some time ago over a 4 days period, by a group of survivors. They taped down the spawning of a new type of W.D.*

One of the survivors in the group got infected and began showing symptoms not shown before. The swelling of the head, bleeding from the ear and a thick horizontal line across their head that looked like a blood vessel.

Blood was suddenly splashed on the screen as the video got skipped to the final moments before recording stopped. Apparently, the infected guy's head exploded, exposing his brains. He appeared to look more intelligent than even the survivors as it displayed the use of a gun, even reloading it and opening fire once more. The blood from the explosion of the head also seems to be a strong acid as nearby rocks and the floor started dissolving.

Class: Brains

Attributes: Smart, Blood that is strong acid, Original knowledge and experience is kept and used even upon death.

Behaviours: Appears to come out with ideas, even ambushes and assassination.

Year 2033, 30 August, 1039

After being ambushed, we were flooded by hordes of zombie. Waves came one after another, only to fall within seconds and be replenished again. Being pushed back, we retreated to a nearby building.

It was an old three-story flat covered with wild plants that have overgrown on the outside. Six windows, so dusty I thought someone painted it grey. Surrounded by tall grass that even W.D.s can hide in, I ordered Lage to trim the grass.

I went into the building, looking up the stairs. "Creak", went the door as I opened it with suspicious eyes. Armed with my trusty dual pistols that went through life and death with me, I took aim. Noticing a small dislodged wood from a nearby cabinet, I kicked it forward. Nothing came. Turning my back, "RAGHRHAHGH!" sounded a Salt Eye. "Bang!", went my pistol as I did a head shot.

I am a master pistol user, even more so when I have two of them. I was ranked Second in accuracy tests in Training Academy back in those days using pistols.

Hour: 11:03

While we were resting, I formulated a battle plan in my head and I relayed it out. However, I was cut off halfway.

"RYU! A DARN COMMANDER!", Arigus shouted and his face turned pale. Mine didn't look so good either.

References

W.D.* - Abbreviation for Walking Dead


	4. Chapter 4 Commanders

**Chapter 4 - Commanders**

Hour: 1104

"A CMD* eh?" I questioned casually, acting like as if it was no one's business as blooded started to redden my cheeks again.

"Remember that huge scar on your face? Who was the one that did it huh?" The pale faced Arigus stared hard at me as he replied.

I know what he meant, after all, it was a really huge scar, going from left to right diagonally across my nose bridge to my cheeks.

"Ryuno? The horns of that commander looks real familiar you know."

"Really? Because I swear that's the one who got my face.", I retorted sarcastically and both of us chuckled.

Commanders where special. They appeared a few years back. I can't really remember where but they seem to be a kind of unclassified W.D. which mutated by consuming other W.D. Thank god CMDs did not consume each other if not their power would be peerless.

There was currently 5 commanders identified by us. There may be more, who knows and cares now? Each had a different level of speed, strength and they all possessed a special ability, if not two or three and some of them the same but enhanced.

Like say this CMD we saw. Its called GYL, Grab-Your-Legs for short. It has an ability that allows whatever it touches, be it rod or cement brick, turn into something that could grab your leg with. If it decided to slam the ground, you have only seconds to jump away before something from below shoots up, and grabs your leg.

Another CMD called JOU, Jump-On-You had the same ability. It is deadlier than GYL, but right now, our greatest threat. CMDs are somehow a little bullet resistant. Shoot a bullet at it, and it just scratches them, gets totally dented and falls on wherever its standing on. Even shooting their heads has the same effect, or rather, you can't even damage its head. Weak spot? Nope. Not any that we know of. Maybe not yet.

Hour: 1105

A minute passed while me and my team were hiding in the old building. *Do. Do. Do. Do* sounded as the heavy yet fast footsteps approached us. My guess, is that the CMD has spotted, no no I meant smelled us. It would probably approach in 3 minutes.

We needed to escape, urgently. We are no match for the CMD with our current arsenal as we did not expect to meet one right here, especially this one. We were just here to scout, not to _annihilate a whole camp of zombies to take over that place._

Anti-CMD equipment was already made, but still under development. Requesting for it will only take months, and we did not have time for that since we prepare it months in advance for our missions.

Besides, even with those equipment, you can't guarantee victory. Like I said, they are mutating or rather evolving at a break-neck speed, so development will probably continue until they find a way to kill the CMDs no matter how they evolve.

Hour: 1107

"Do." It arrived at our doorsteps a minute earlier than I thought it would reach. Explosives were still being set up. Even if they did no damage, the least it could do was to delay it by dropping debris on it and making it fall to the sewers right beneath us.

"Gather around, gather around. When Arigus fires his sniper, it would be the signal to get out of here, got it?" Everyone nodded.

"BANG!"

We all rushed out, much like cheetah going after an Impala, but we were the Impalas, the explosion being the cheetah. A huge shock wave came. We were all pushed and they landed with a loud thud around some rubble behind the building. Me? I got a face plant. "Ah.. another scar", I thought as I embraced the pain that showed me I was alive.

Being the last to stand up, I looked behind and saw. Somewhat, the place we were in turned into a small hill. Brigus had set up mines a bit away in the house from the entrance and linked it up to the explosives John and Tim set up in the supports of the house with the help of me and Lage. Arigus was scouting at the top floor using his binoculars.

"Lets make a run for it!", I said as I ran forward towards the center of the town and looked left and right of me, seeing that they were smiling like I did. The thing about CMDs is that they had low intelligence so it would not know what hit it. What made our escape successful was that GYL was a very slow CMD, akin a tortoise. Normally, we ran at a speed three times that of GYL, so you can guess how slow it is. But now, the adrenaline brought us to four times.

We shot down several groups of zombies ahead, only to find even more groups so we gave up shooting and drew our melee weapons. Though not as efficient as guns, ammo isn't scattered everywhere like dust you know. Hacking the head off a zombie with my light one-handed hatchet, I made quick work of about 6 of them. The rest got killed shortly after by my teammates' personal choice of weapons.

Hack and slash as we liked, we had to keep moving forward. After what felt like 20 minutes later, we entered an unmarked region on our computerized map. These are regions not to be entered without sufficient preparation. Types and amount of zombies are information we all need prior to beginning our mission but now, we're in a place where they had no information about. Things could turn out very wrong here, being low on ammo and rations.

Taking a look at my hand watch, it was about 1211 military time. Wiping off the stains on my hatchet, I quickly put it back onto my waist, as did the rest of my team. We pretty much did the same thing together since it was like a practice we often did. Cleaning blood stains in case of cutting ourselves or our teammates when swinging our weapons around wildly. Although we know that we are immune to the airborne virus, who knows what would happen if the virus made direct contact with our blood. I initiated an ammo check.

"Fighting without knowing your limit has no difference from digging your own grave.", my mentor always said, or at least did.

"Hey, I only have like 3 more magnum rounds. What about you guys?"

Well, actually as the writer, I can't remember the rest of their guns nor can I be bothered to look back so.. Lets cut to the chase.

Overall, we all had less than one magazine of bullets left for all our guns. What a grave situation we're in.

References

CMD* - Refers to Commanders

**Hi, I am the author of this story. I would like to have some ideas on how I can continue my story so would you readers who have some ideas please share them with me? I have no idea on how to write the next chapter so pretty please?**

**PM me to tell me your ideas. I welcome it all.**


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